Career and Education Opportunities for Transportation Security Officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota

There are many career and education opportunities for transportation security officers in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. There are currently 5,380 jobs for transportation security officers in Minnesota and this is projected to grow by 8% to 5,800 jobs by 2016. This is not quite as good as the nation as a whole, where employment opportunities for transportation security officers are expected to grow by about 14.0%. Transportation security officers generally inspect baggage or cargo and screen passengers to detect and prevent potentially dangerous objects from being transported into secure areas or onto aircraft.

Income for transportation security officers is about $15 hourly or $31,770 yearly on average in Minnesota. Nationally, their income is about $14 per hour or $29,120 annually. Incomes for transportation security officers are not quite as good as in the overall category of Police and Security in Minnesota, and not quite as good as the overall Police and Security category nationally. Transportation security officers work in a variety of jobs, including: airline security representative, security officer, and baggage security checker.

There are six schools within twenty-five miles of Minneapolis where you can study to be a transportation security officer, among eighty schools of higher education total in the Minneapolis area. Transportation security officers usually hold a high school diploma or GED, so you can expect to spend only a short time training to become a transportation security officer if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Transportation Security Officer

In general, transportation security officers inspect baggage or cargo and screen passengers to detect and prevent potentially dangerous objects from being transported into secure areas or onto aircraft.

Transportation security officers close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that an airport is secure. They also locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection. Equally important, transportation security officers have to view images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems. They are often called upon to confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal. They are expected to follow those who breach security until police or other security staff arrive to apprehend them. Finally, transportation security officers challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.

Every day, transportation security officers are expected to be able to evaluate problems as they arise. They need to solve different sorts of problems in different ways depending upon circumstances. It is also important that they understand what others are saying to them even in a noisy environment.

It is important for transportation security officers to search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons. They are often called upon to perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches. They also notify supervisors or other appropriate staff when security breaches occur. They are sometimes expected to ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects before walking through metal detectors. Somewhat less frequently, transportation security officers are also expected to furnish directions and respond to passenger inquiries.

Transportation security officers sometimes are asked to furnish directions and respond to passenger inquiries. and decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through. And finally, they sometimes have to perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.

Like many other jobs, transportation security officers must have exceptional integrity and be reliable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Minneapolis include:

Chief of Police. Supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force.

Criminal Investigator. Investigate alleged or suspected criminal violations of Federal, state, or local laws to determine if evidence is sufficient to recommend prosecution.

Customs Inspector. Investigate and inspect persons, common carriers, and merchandise, arriving in or departing from the United States or between states to detect violations of immigration and customs laws and regulations.

Private Investigator. Detect occurrences of unlawful acts or infractions of rules in private establishment, or seek, examine, and compile information for client.

Sheriff. Enforce law and order in rural or unincorporated districts or serve legal processes of courts. May patrol courthouse, guard court or grand jury, or escort defendants.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Transportation Security Officer Training

Metropolitan State University - Saint Paul, MN

Metropolitan State University, 700 E Seventh St, Saint Paul, MN 55106-5000. Metropolitan State University is a medium sized university located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 6,909 students and an admission rate of 53%. Metropolitan State University has a one to two year and a bachelor's degree program in Criminal Justice/Police Science which graduated twenty-seven and four students respectively in 2008.

Inver Hills Community College - Inver Grove Heights, MN

Inver Hills Community College, 2500 80th St E, Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076-3224. Inver Hills Community College is a medium sized college located in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 5,608 students. Inver Hills Community College has an associate's degree program in Criminal Justice/Police Science which graduated thirty-eight students in 2008.

North Hennepin Community College - Brooklyn Park, MN

North Hennepin Community College, 7411 85th Ave N, Brooklyn Park, MN 55445. North Hennepin Community College is a medium sized college located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 6,904 students. North Hennepin Community College has an associate's degree program in Criminal Justice/Police Science which graduated fifty-four students in 2008.

Century Community and Technical College - White Bear Lake, MN

Century Community and Technical College, 3300 Century Ave N, White Bear Lake, MN 55110. Century Community and Technical College is a medium sized college located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 9,384 students. Century Community and Technical College has an associate's degree program in Criminal Justice/Police Science which graduated thirty-seven students in 2008.

Minneapolis Community and Technical College - Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis Community and Technical College, 1501 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403-1779. Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a medium sized college located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 9,539 students. Minneapolis Community and Technical College has a less than one year and an associate's degree program in Criminal Justice/Police Science which graduated 232 and eleven students respectively in 2008.

Normandale Community College - Bloomington, MN

Normandale Community College, 9700 France Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55431. Normandale Community College is a medium sized college located in Bloomington, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 9,478 students. Normandale Community College has a less than one year and an associate's degree program in Criminal Justice/Police Science which graduated two and thirty-seven students respectively in 2008.

Certified in Homeland Security:
Professionals with significant and demonstrable experience in areas that interface with Homeland Security may be eligible for granted Certification in Homeland Security.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota photo by BenFranske

Minneapolis is situated in Hennepin County, Minnesota. It has a population of over 382,605. The cost of living index in Minneapolis, 101, is near the national average. New single-family homes in Minneapolis are priced at $451,300 on average, which is far greater than the state average. In 2008, forty-five new homes were constructed in Minneapolis, down from one hundred fifteen the previous year.

The top three industries for women in Minneapolis are health care, educational services, and accommodation and food services. For men, it is educational services, professional, scientific, and technical services, and accommodation and food services. The average commute to work is about 22 minutes. More than 37.4% of Minneapolis residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 13.1%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Minneapolis is 7.0%, which is the same as Minnesota's average of 7.0%.

The percentage of Minneapolis residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 57.7%, is more than the national average but less than the state average. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Methodist Church.

Minneapolis is home to the Saint Josephs Orphanage and the Hiawatha Municipal Golf Course as well as Beards Plaisance and Mississippi Park. Visitors to Minneapolis can choose from COE Mansion Carriage House, Radisson Hotel Metrodome and Best Western Kelly Inn for temporary stays in the area.